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Springer v. Clarke

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
Jun 28, 2016
No. 15-7796 (4th Cir. Jun. 28, 2016)

Opinion

No. 15-7796

06-28-2016

LEVI SPRINGER, Petitioner - Appellant, v. HAROLD W. CLARKE, D.O.C. Director, Respondent - Appellee.

Levi Springer, Appellant Pro Se.


UNPUBLISHED Appeal from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria. Liam O'Grady, District Judge. (1:15-cv-01275-LO-TCB) Before MOTZ, KING, and WYNN, Circuit Judges. Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion. Levi Springer, Appellant Pro Se. Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit. PER CURIAM:

Levi Springer seeks to appeal the district court's order dismissing as successive his 28 U.S.C. § 2254 (2012) petition. The order is not appealable unless a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of appealability. 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(1)(A) (2012). A certificate of appealability will not issue absent "a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right." 28 U.S.C. § 2253(c)(2) (2012). When the district court denies relief on the merits, a prisoner satisfies this standard by demonstrating that reasonable jurists would find that the district court's assessment of the constitutional claims is debatable or wrong. Slack v. McDaniel, 529 U.S. 473, 484 (2000); see Miller-El v. Cockrell, 537 U.S. 322, 336-38 (2003). When the district court denies relief on procedural grounds, the prisoner must demonstrate both that the dispositive procedural ruling is debatable, and that the petition states a debatable claim of the denial of a constitutional right. Slack, 529 U.S. at 484-85.

We have independently reviewed the record and conclude that Springer has not made the requisite showing. Accordingly, we deny a certificate of appealability, deny leave to proceed in forma pauperis, and dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

DISMISSED


Summaries of

Springer v. Clarke

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
Jun 28, 2016
No. 15-7796 (4th Cir. Jun. 28, 2016)
Case details for

Springer v. Clarke

Case Details

Full title:LEVI SPRINGER, Petitioner - Appellant, v. HAROLD W. CLARKE, D.O.C…

Court:UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT

Date published: Jun 28, 2016

Citations

No. 15-7796 (4th Cir. Jun. 28, 2016)